Watchmaking performance requires high precision movements, with minimum space requirements, and a reduced number of components, in order to control production, assembly and adjustment costs. “LIGA” or “DRIE” technologies can produce flexible, precise components, and challenge conventional architectures, which are characterized by a high number of components and complex adjustments.
WO Patent No 2011/120180 A1 in the name of Rolex SA discloses a pallet type brake lever, with two arms, each provided with a pallet-stone for engaging with the same toothed wheel, with two elastic arms connecting the brake lever to a frame which enables it to pivot, and a third elastic element substantially forming a bistable system.
EP Patent No 2037335 A2 in the name of Enzler & Von Gunten, discloses a single piece Swiss lever, with two arms each provided with a pallet-stone, and including arms formed by flexible strips connected to a structure and defining a false pivot.
EP Patent No 2450755 A1 in the name of Nivarox discloses an escape wheel for a timepiece mechanism, including a plurality of toothed wheels, which are coaxial and pivot synchronously about a pivot axis and include at least a first toothed impulse wheel in a first impulse plane and at least a second toothed release wheel in a second stopping plane, parallel to or merged with the first impulse plane. The second toothed release wheel includes at least one moveable assembly which includes, on the one hand, at least one release tooth that is moveable radially relative to the pivot axis and returned to a position of equilibrium by a first return means, and on the other hand, at least one locking tooth returned in a first radial direction towards a stop position by a second return means. The release tooth includes a drive means arranged, when the release tooth moves in a second radial direction opposite to the first radial direction, to cooperate with a complementary drive means comprised in the locking tooth in order to drive the locking tooth in the second radial direction. When the release tooth moves in the first radial direction, the drive means is arranged to move at a distance from the complementary drive means without driving the locking tooth.
EP Patent No 2105806 A1 in the name of Girard Perregaux SA discloses a deformable frame defining two orthogonal axes, including a strip spring buckled in its largest dimension and arranged to restore energy when there are changes in the shape of the bistable strip.
EP Patent No 2 221677 A1 in the name of Rolex SA discloses a detent escapement with a lever pivoting against a spring, which pushes a stop element of said lever towards the escape wheel; the lever carries a release element which cooperates with a release finger carried by a roller whose position is moveable relative to the balance roller under the effect of variations in the velocity of the balance.
CH Patent No 60813 A in the name of Shortill discloses a lever escapement whose escape wheel includes, on both sides of the flange thereof, alternating teeth cooperating with pallet-stones mounted opposite to and facing each other.
EP Patent No 1967919 A1 in the name of ETA SA discloses an escapement with tangential impulses comprising a moveable, ring-shaped frame comprising palette stones arranged to cooperate with the teeth of a moveable escapement located inside the ring.